Examining the impact of multidimensional accessibility on regional poverty in Laos. (November 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liang, Yutian; Li, Shangqian; Zeng, Jiaqi; Wu, Tianbang
• Is Part Of: Applied geography. Volume 148(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-11
• Subjects: Accessibility -- Spatial pattern -- Geodetector -- Poverty -- Laos; Geography -- Periodicals; Human geography -- Periodicals; Human ecology -- Periodicals; 910
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2022.102789
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0143-6228

Abstract

Abstract: Accessibility is a crucial way to overcome geographical restrictions and provides an essential path for alleviating regional poverty. Existing studies have focused on the impact of single accessibility factors on poverty reduction, while less attention has been paid to the effect of multi-accessibility on poverty patterns. Therefore, the contribution of this study is to analyze the driving mechanism of multidimensional accessibility factors on the spatial differentiation of poverty and explore the impact of different accessibility interactions on poverty patterns. The results are as follows: (1) The effects of multidimensional accessibility on spatial stratified heterogeneity of poverty were significant, among which economic accessibility, market accessibility, and traffic accessibility are the main driving factors. (2) Poverty was lower in districts closer to special economic zones, provincial capitals, and primary roads, while educational facilities and natural factors have limited influence on poverty patterns. (3) From the results of the interaction detector, the interaction of two accessibility factors is more obvious than that of a single factor. Market accessibility and traffic accessibility are the main interaction factors. This study is of great significance for poverty reduction in Laos and can be a good case for high-quality development in Southeast Asia. Highlights: Multidimensional accessibility obviously affects the spatial heterogeneity of poverty in Laos. Poverty in Laos varies widely and is characterized by significant spatial aggregation at the district scale. Economic accessibility, market accessibility, and traffic accessibility are the main driving factors. The interaction between market accessibility and traffic accessibility is the most significant one.